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Good cool morning from Collegeville,

We are redoing the kitchen at The Parsonage in Upsala and I will be supervising the installation of the new counter and sink tomorrow so this is going out early. The 50’s style tin sink was beyond repair. Thanks to my very creative old high school buddy Bob and his cabinet shop all will be new soon.

On October 2, 2004, I attended the APHC show at The Fitzgerald Theater and when I sat down to look at the program, I loudly proclaimed “They took out Upsala”! The front of the program was a map of central Minnesota and they had removed the dot and name “Upsala” from the map and positioned a dot and the name “Lake Wobegon” where South Elmdale used to be. Bob, the cabinet maker, and his wife Shirley live in “South Elmdale”. All that is left of South Elmdale today is a small church that is no longer used on a regular basis. The congregation moved to Holdingford a few years back. I have attached a copy of the program.

The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show recorded at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. Special guests include Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver who will play “Blue Train (Of the Heartbreak Line)”. The U.S. Fleet Forces Band performs “The Klaxon” and Robin and Linda Williams and Joe Newberry sing “Rocky Island”. In addition, Rob Fisher and The DiGiallonardo Sisters perform “Jeepers Creepers”. In Lake Wobegon, Sarah Peterson worries her parents by becoming successful. Enjoy the show.

Tonight Visual Arts Minnesota presents their “35th Annual High School Art Exhibition and Competition” reception and award ceremony at the Paramount Theatre Lobby and Studio C in downtown St. Cloud from 6 to 8. I have many fine pieces of artwork in my collection purchased from past shows. I hope to see you there.

“You are not merely here to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” Woodrow Wilson

Category : General

Comments Off on March 26, 2015

Good morning from Collegeville,

Today is the first day of spring. Signs of spring are not very apparent. I have not seen a robin yet. The tulips are barely sticking out of the ground. The ice is still on the lakes around campus, but hope springs eternal. Rhubarb can’t be far behind.

There are plans in the works to bring back the Fisher’s Club in Avon. A couple of young men, Cory and Jacob Voss, grew up in the area and they are working hard to make it happen, soon. Fisher’s is famous for their walleye and Bee Bop A Ree Bop Rhubarb pie. Fisher’s was a bottle club, a place where you could bring your own bottle of booze and then purchase “set-ups” to mix your own. They did serve wine and beer. There are lockers on the walls with the names of the club members. For many years a club member could leave their bottle in the locker, thus not having to carry it with them. I hope that in the remodeling that they leave the lockers there. That practice was not approved the last time that Fisher’s was brought to life. This time they might go with a full bar.

There are plans to offer memberships in the “Fisher’s 2015 Founders Club” starting at the $500 level. If you are interested send an email to fbohospitality@kmwb.net

The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show from The Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Brandi Carlile sings “The Story” and the Wailin’ Jennys perform “Bird Song”. The usual cast of characters will perform a number of skits and Richard Dworsky will lead the band. In The News From Lake Wobegon, Lyle Janske runs the high school basketball concessions stand to take his mind off his son’s illness. Enjoy the show.

“Goals are means to achieving the sub-objectives whereby progress toward objectives can be measured. They should be reasonable, attainable, set in advance for a fixed period, and written. W.L. Howse

Category : General

Comments Off on March 20, 2015

Good sunny morning from Collegeville,

What a beautiful week of weather in central Minnesota. The forecast is for 64 degrees on Sunday. Still no cardinals calling for some action, but that will happen soon.

Tomorrow night I will be working a table at The Paramount Theatre in downtown St. Cloud. The James Sewell Ballet Company is presenting “Guy Noir: The Ballet”. Rich Dworsky, the music director for APHC will be there along with The Guy’s All Star Shoe Band. Come on down and enter the contest for some door prizes. The show starts at 7:30.

Ring of Kerry is performing today at 1:30 and tonight at 7:30, also at The Paramount Theatre. You still have time to purchase a new seat for The Paramount. This is a great way to commemorate yourself, your loved ones, or someone else of your choosing with an engraved plaque on one or more seats in the Theatre. Simply go to paramountarts.org/seats to purchase seats or tickets online.

The APHC show this week is a rebroadcast of a show from the San Diego Civic Theatre from February 2011. Special guests include Sara and Dean Watkins performing “I’m a Memory”. The United States Navy Band Southwest will play “The National Emblem March” and Jearlyn Steele sings “Tell Mama”. In the News From Lake Wobegon, Clint and Irene Bunsen celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary at the Moonlight Bay Supper Club. Enjoy the show.

“If you do not sow, you do not reap; no investment, no dividend. It’s as simple as that.” Alfred Armand Montapert.

Category : General

Comments Off on March 13, 2015

Good morning from Collegeville,

The rumor is that winter is over this weekend. I will believe it when I see the robins pulling worms out of the ground. Good Friday is April 3rd and that is way too early to plant potatoes. I am looking forward to the gardening season. We may even have a garden plot in Millstream Village this year. There are two new homes being built next door right now. The guys were out early this morning working on the outer shell. I really enjoy the process of designing and building. Maybe in my next career I should be a home builder.

This weekend is the Central Minnesota Builders Association Home Show at the River’s Edge Convention Center in downtown St. Cloud. One of the best in the business is this year’s Home Show Committee Chair, Tom Albers with Borgert Products. “Stones With Style”. I know that you have lots of choices when it comes to a Friday Night Fish Fry, but why not go to the Home Show today from 4 to 8 pm for all you can eat cod. The price includes admission to the show. Go to cmbaonline.org for a coupon.

The APHC show this week is another live show from the State Theatre in Minneapolis. Special guests include bluegrass sensation Becky Schlegel, country singer Kim Parent and two young a cappella groups, girl’s quartet GQ and men’s septet, The Limestones. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman will join The Dayton’s Parking Ramp Band directed by Richard Dworsky. The latest News From Lake Wobegon will bring us up to date on Pastor Liz and her love life.

“Dost thou love Life? Then do not squander Time; for that is the stuff Life is made of.” Benjamin Franklin

Category : General

Comments Off on March 6, 2015

Good frosty morning from Collegeville,

I still have not heard the first cardinal call on campus. Most years the cardinals have arrived by this time.

A couple of years ago I attended a Waite Park Chamber event hosted by MinnWest Bank. The speaker was Jill with Express Employment Professionals. Her opening statement concluded that, on average, we will each have three careers and 27 jobs in our lifetime. At first, it sounded like a bit much, but then I started counting. My three careers were drafting, office furniture/equipment sales and now nearly 16 years selling sponsorships for Minnesota Public Radio. I did have more than 20 jobs.

My first job was working at Ramlo Grocery in Upsala, (my grandparents owned the store) for fifty cents an hour. The summer between my junior and senior year in high school I worked for my step-grandfather, Francis Johnson, as a house painter in Little Falls. As I mentioned last week, in 1962 I got into the drafting field thanks to my sisters friend, Barry Larson. I worked my way up from being a draftsman on the Polaris project at Honeywell to being a manager with the very first computerized drafting service bureau in the U.S., Norwood Engineering. We were way ahead of our time and after a rough first few months, I was laid off on the day of my daughters first birthday. The founders had been the sales force and they had been let go by the Board of Directors. Two guys that worked for me were the entire production crew. They went on strike until the new President, Ron Crew, agreed to hire me back as the sales rep. Every day we would go to the office and negotiate for my return and then buy a 12 pack and go to the lake for lunch. After a few weeks Ron agreed to take me back. One of the two guys who went on strike was Eckart “Butch” Herter, who took me aside to tell me that my hand shake sucked and that, if I was planning on being a salesman, I had better read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. He was right on. He died way to young of cancer. The other guy runs a movie theater in Hutchinson with his wife. I owe them big time.

The APHC show this week is live from the State Theatre in Minneapolis. Special guests include folk-rock singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and gospel grandmaster Jearlyn Steele. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman will join music director and pianist Richard Dworsky. The latest name for the band is “The Steady Shovelers”. The latest News From Lake Wobegon will bring us up to date on the approach of spring.

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.” G.K. Chesterson

Category : General

Comments Off on February 27, 2015

Good morning from Collegeville,

“You just need to find your authentic swing!” Bagger Vance, a character in the movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance”, released in 2000, directed by Robert Redford. Doing well at the game of golf is akin to doing well at the game of life. I am here doing what I do, loving what I do, to a large degree because of luck. Being in the right place at the right time. I had no idea what I was “going to be when I grew up”. I once signed up for the “Phillips Gas Station Management Program”. Those of us in the program wore company uniforms but I don’t remember having to wear “the cap”. They taught us how to properly check the oil and wash the windshield while keeping an eye on the gas pump.

One day my sister’s boy friend Barry Larson asked me if I had any skill with “drafting”. He had a side job that he needed help with. I was living with my mother recovering from a back operation and I told a fib, but I got the job. When he came to pick up the finished work, he was not happy. “Don’t you know the difference between an object line and a dimension line?” Clearly I did not. I bought an instruction book and did the work over again. I ended up as an Engineer Aid on the Polaris project at Honeywell and designed a part for the gyro for the missile . I own a tie clasp with a submarine on the face. I probably still have that instruction book in the basement of the Parsonage. When I left that job to go back to college they gave me a very nice compass set and a briefcase to carry my books. Twenty jobs, in three different industries, later I landed a job with Minnesota Public Radio.

The A Prairie Home Companion show this week is a live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater. Our host is back at the helm, fresh from burning off a few vacations days he had built up over 40 years. Special guests include sizzling vocalist and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, singer and fiddler Emily Miller, and old-time juke-joint band, The Steel City Jug Slammers. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman will team up with Rich Dworsky with The Exchange Street Quartet. Enjoy the show on the radio or online at prairiehome.org.

“We make first our habits, and then our habits make us.” John Dryden

Category : General

Comments Off on February 20, 2105

Good morning from Collegeville,

Happy Friday the 13th. This is the first “Friday, the 13th” for the year of 2015. In 2014 there was only one “Friday the 13th”. There will be a total of three this year.

According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business on this day. “It’s been estimated that $800 to $900 million is lost in business on this day..” source John Roach.

According to Wikipedia, the actual origin of the superstition appears to be a tale in Norse mythology. Friday is named for Frigga, the free-spirited goddess of love and fertility. When Norse and Germanic tribes converted to Christianity, Frigga was banished in shame to a mountaintop and labeled a witch. It was believed that every Friday, the spiteful goddess convened a meeting with eleven other witches, plus the devil – a gathering of thirteen – and plotted ill turns of fate for the coming week. For many centuries in Scandinavia, Friday was known as “Witches’ Sabbath.” source: Charles Panati, Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things.

The APHC show this week is another show with guest host Chris Thile. I, for one, thought that he did a good job last week. For a minute I thought that he was even going to try doing the News From Lake Wobegon, but he simply introduced another story teller. Special guests this week include bluegrass all-stars Jerry Douglas and The Earls of Leicester, singer, violinist, and banjo player Rhiannon Giddens and story teller Elna Baker. Plus the Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman. Enjoy the show.

“The years teach much which the days never know.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Category : General

Comments Off on February 13, 2015

Good morning from Collegeville,

I celebrated my tenth birthday on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean. My mother along and with her four children were returning from a stint as US Army dependents stationed in Vienna, Austria. My Dad was held over in Vienna and when he arrived in Upsala a few weeks later, Ma along with brother Brian age 2, were in New Ulm visiting her cousin Helen. Dad borrowed a brand new 1954 Chevy from Uncle Duke who owned Hagstrom Chevrolet in Upsala and my brother Bill and I rode with him to New Ulm.

I was napping in the back seat and I woke up when our car was broadsided by a dump truck. I had a broken leg. I still can remember the pain when they were putting me on the X-Ray table at the hospital in Cokato. The cast was from my toes to my crotch. I was in the hospital for a few weeks and when it came time to transport me back to Upsala, Dad took me to Uncle Elmer’s. Uncle Elmer and his wife Ethyl owned the Dokken Funeral Home in Cokato. I had to spend the night on a cot on the main floor of the funeral home. There were coffins in the next room. The next day they hauled me to Upsala in a black Studebaker hearse. That explains a lot, huh!

The APHC show this week is a very special show live from The Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. Garrison is taking the day off and Chris Thile steps to the center stage mic as the host. Special guests include the Punch Brothers, poet Billy Collins, bluegrass singer Sarah Jarosz and Minneapolis storyteller Tristan Jimerson. The Royal Academy of Radio Actors and the Exchange Street Band fill out the bill. Enjoy the show on the radio or watch/listen on the internet at prairiehome.org

“Any idiot can face a crisis; it is this day-to-day living that wears you out.” Chekhov

Category : General

Comments Off on February 6, 2015

Good afternoon from Collegeville,

Not much snow, but it is cooling off. We are heading to a cabin in the north country tomorrow, so this is going out early. The first seed catalog arrived in the mail this week and this one is from the “most ancient” town in Connecticut, the historic Comstock, Ferre & Company Seed Company in Wethersfield. We visited the store when we flew out to New Haven for a wedding in 2012. It is part of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds owned and operated by the Gettle Family. You can check them out at rareseeds.com

I plan on ordering Butternut squash and a couple of other squash varieties. It will be a while before spring is here but it is fun to plan. In the meanwhile you can substitute cubed sweet potatoes that you can pick up at Target for the Butternut squash for making the awesome soup that is just perfect for cold nights like tonight. Stay warm.

The APHC show this week is another live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul. Special guests include country songwriter and singer Robbie Fulks, Oklahoma’s own John Fullbright and singer and actress Kate Beahen. Plus the usual cast of characters. You may watch the entire show live at prairiehome.org

“The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.” The basketball coach speaking to Junior in the novel by Sherman Alexie, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.”

Category : General

Comments Off on January 29, 2015

Good morning from Collegeville,

Yesterday we celebrated the 48th Anniversary of the first broadcast on KSJR 90.1 from the third floor of Wimmer Hall. The first words uttered by engineer Dan Rieder were, “Heed my words, Earth People. You have 10 minutes to live.”

This is the story of how Bill Kling was selected to lead the creation of what has become the largest network of public radio stations in the United States. It was written by our first intern, Ellen Newkirk.

“The Saint John’s University monks chose Bill Kling to help run their fledgling public radio station (which would later become MPR) because of his “bright mind” – literally. SJU graduate Marty Mahowald shares the story of Bill Kling’s selection as the station’s leader told by his professor at Saint John’s in the 1970s, Fr. Gunther Rolfson. According to
Fr. Gunther, in the 1960s, Saint John’s had a mandatory lights-out policy at 10 pm when the faculty residents would flip a switch that turned off all power on each floor of the residence halls. However, one evening Fr. Gunther took a walk around campus after he and several other monks were struggling to come up with someone to run the radio station, when he noticed a light illuminating a single room in Benet Hall.

The next day, Fr. Gunther used a master key to enter the room and found a system rigged by the student to keep the power on after the switch was flipped each night. The room belonged to Bill Kling. Eventually, the monks decided Kling’s innovative and determined spirit was just what they needed for their new endeavor. According to Mahowald, “He (Fr. Gunther) said that they knew that as a fledgling business that it would have struggles, budget challenges and many other issues to deal with and it would take someone with a lot of moxy to lead it through to success.”

It turned out to be a very successful decision; Kling served as president of MPR until 2010 and created one of the greatest public radio stations in the country. “
Ellen Newkirk, CSB, Class of 2013.

The APHC show this week is a live broadcast from The Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. Guests include singer-pianist-activist Nellie McKay, regulars Robin and Linda Williams and Minnesota poet Kirsten Dierking. Plus, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors, Tim Russell, Sue Scott and Fred Newman will join Rich Dworsky and The Exchange Street Quartet. The News from Lake Wobegon will bring us up to date on the town that time has forgotten. Enjoy the show.

“All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. Winston S. Churchill

Category : General

Comments Off on January 23, 2015